Combined combustion chamber and heat exchanger



July 4, 1950 A. w. RUFF COMBINED COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND HEAT EXCHANGERFu d Spft. 4, 194a Patented July 4, 1 950 COMBINED COMBUSTION CHAMBERAND HEAT EXCHANGER Alonzo W. Rufl', York; Pa., assignor to Harvey-Whipple, Inc., Springfield, Mass.. a corporation ApplicationSeptember-v4, 1948, Serial No. 47,910

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to improvements in a unitary heat exchanger or warmair conditioner which may be used with a variety of heating units suchas an oil burner or the like.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide a device of theclass described which is characterized by a shell or casing of any ofthe conventional sizes, shapes and designs having therein a plurality ofinterconnected chambers being arranged in spaced relation within thecasing so as to provide within a minimum of space a maximum of heatedsurface with which air to be warmed or conditioned may come in contact.

With the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages andother objects of my invention as will become more apparent as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel featuresof construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as willbe hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claim hereuntoannexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view' of the device of my invention shownin association-with one form of a furnace;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device. of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of my invention; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will befully described.

An outer furnace casing which may be of any conventional dimension isshown in Fig. 1 for purposes of illustration as comprising a front wallill, a rear wall l2, side walls such as H and a top wall iii. A warm airoutlet I8 is provided in the form shown as being centrally disposed inthe top wall l6 although it will be understood that the outlet could beotherwise placed in any other of the wall members with equallysatisfactory results.

The device of my invention is adapted for insertion within this casing.

of the I device A primary combustion chamber I9 having a.

half round longitudinal lower wall has a vertical outer side wall 22which extends upwardly in a substantially vertical direction from oneside of the lower wall 20.

2 Vertically extending end walls such as 28 connect the opposite edgesof the lower wall 20, the

outer side wall 22 and the inner side wall 24 so as to provide theprimary combustion chamber.

An annular ring 30 is provided around an opening in one of end walls 26substantially as is shown in Figs. 1 and 3 through which the tube of anoil burner apparatus or the like may be received.

The primary combustion chamber receives the direct flame from an oilburner or the like although it will be understood that any type ofheating unit may be employed therewith with equally effective results.

A secondary chamber which serves as the heat exchanger compartment isdisposed at the inner Vertically extending end walls such as 46 connectthe opposite edges of the inner side wall 40, the outer side wall 42,and the upper wall 44 so as to provide the secondary chamber.

A hollow connection 50 disposed between the inner walls 24 and 40 spacesthe same from each other so as to provide an inclined air passagewaytherebetween throughout the lengths thereof substantially as shown inFig. 1. It will be understood that one or more of such connections maybe provided.

Spacers 5| may also be provided between the inner walls 24 and 40.

One of the end walls 46 of the secondary chamber is provided with aflue'outlet 48 for the escape of the combustion gases to a chimney.

Avertical baflle 52 is provided within the secondary chamber and in theform shown in Fig. 2 it extends in a direction parallel to the end walls46 and transversely of the secondary chamber.

A vertically extending hollow duct 60 is centrally disposed through thesecondary chamber so as to provide another means of access by which thewarmed air may rise as will presently be observed.

' Braces 62 are provided along the sides of the chambers in any of theconventional manners The device of my invention having been described,the operation thereof will now be explained.

Combustion is completed in the primary combustion chamber and the hotgases move upwardly through the hollow connection to the secondarychamber.

The baille member however is so positioned that the gases are notpermitted to pass directly to the flue opening and to the chimney.Instead, the gases must double back and follow a circuitous route aroundthe hollow connection 60 giving up in this passage their heat to thepassing currents of the air to be warmed which is being directedupwardly from the bottom of the furv nace casing.

cific forms without departing from the essential,

characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore tobe considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not asbeing restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by theappended claim rather than by the foregoing description, and allmodifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview andrange of equivalency of the apa forming separate primary and secondarychambers, said primary chamber walls including an outer vertical walland a lower wall curving downwardly, inwardly and upwardly in the formof a half-cylinder and an inner wall extending obliquely upwardly andoutwardly from said half-cylinder, upper ends of said outer and innerwalls secured together, and rear and forward walls secured to saidwalls, the forward wall provided with an opening for an oil burner, saidsecondary chamber walls including an inner wall spaced from and securedto the oblique inner wall of the primary chamber providing therewith anair passage therebetween and having upper horizontal and outer verticalwalls with adjoining edges thereof secured together and their edgesopposite thereto secured respectively to upper and lower edges of saidsecond named inner wall, a rear end wall secured to the rear ends of thefirst named walls of the secondary chamber provided with an outlet and aforward wall secured to the forward ends of said walls, a hollow ductbetween the adjacent inner walls of the primary and secondary chambers,a hollow duct extending between the upper and inner walls of thesecondary chamber'spaced from the outer and end walls thereof providinga passageway through and separate from said chamber, and a wall spacedinwardly of the rear wall and outlet of the secondary chamber extendingfrom said last named duct to the upper and inner walls of the secondarychamber.

ALONZO W. RUFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 718,980 Chappell Jan. 27, 19032,160,269 Jorolemon May 30, 1939 2,296,545 Tichbourne a Sept. 22, 1942FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 639,003 France Mar. 5, 1928

